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Many commentators have noted that overindulging wealthy kids is bad for their character; but few have noted the new goal of "no obstacles" in private education. It is not just that wealthy US kids have a range of costly extras to choose from in school; but these schools are being forced to weed out any experience the kids might perceive as negative. Bullying is wrong; but private schools are so attentive – I would say, overattentive – to kids' group dynamics, that administrators sweep in and underemployed, wealthy, stay-at-home parents often meet, to nip in the bud any social combativeness, perceived exclusion, or random aggression. The hierarchical, aggressive physical horseplay at recess, which some educators note is a normal part of boys' and young mens' development, is, in other schools, forbidden.
Another trend is for there to be no final grades: if you don't like the grade you got, in these $40k-plus schools, you resubmit a revised version of your essay for reconsideration. In life, though, how many times will your boss (or your spouse) let you have a no-foul "do-over" for bad judgement or lousy execution?
Obstacles, of course, are developmentally necessary: they teach kids strategy, patience, critical thinking, resilience and resourcefulness. In my bad public education, we kids learned a lot from the few great teachers; but we learned, also, important life lessons from the irascible or irrational teachers' teaching; we learned from social conflicts in the schoolyard, from frustration with recalcitrant graders, from the race riots that erupted every fall, and even from the boredom of enforced assembly and other not-fun but serious expectations.
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-- Andy